Safety is paramount in every laboratory, so equipment that offers protection is always needed. Engineering controls like biological safety cabinets and fume hoods are some of these laboratory equipment. Although these two belong to different categories of laboratory equipment, they are often confused with each other. However, it’s important to be able to differentiate between the two in order to know what you need in your laboratory- and that’s what this article aims to achieve.
The differences between a fume hood and a biological safety cabinet are:
● Protection
The biggest similarity between a fume hood and a biological safety cabinet is that they are both used for protection in the laboratory. Well, this similarity also implies a major difference. While both types of equipment offer protection, they are used for protection from different things.
A fume hood is used for protection from vapors and chemical fumes. The protection a fume hood offers covers the personnel(the users/researchers). Since it does not protect the product or material, a fume hood cannot be used when the sterility of research is essential.
On the other hand, a biological safety cabinet is used for protection from biohazards and particulates. A biological safety cabinet’s protection covers products, the environment, and personnel.
● Airflow
Another difference between a fume hood and a biological safety cabinet is how air flows through them.
A biosafety cabinet uses HEPA(high-efficiency particulate air) filtration. These filters work by trapping particulates, animal allergen, aerosols, and all infectious agents. The filtration process makes sure that only microbe-free exhaust air is expelled from the cabinet. However, the process is different in the three different classes of biosafety cabinets.
Class I biosafety cabinets draw air away from the user and across the work surface. In Class II biosafety cabinets, sterile air flows downward to the work surface, intake air flows safely around the used, and exhaust air is filtered(with HEPA filtration)—class III biosafety cabinets filter intake and exhaust air through HEPA filtration.
A fume hood draws air away from the user before diluting it and then discharging it into the atmosphere. The continuous flow of air is essential when it comes to fume hoods. This is why large equipment should not be stored inside the hood so as not to disrupt airflow in any way.
● Applications
Due to their different designs and features, fume hoods and biosafety cabinets are used to handle different materials.
A biosafety cabinet is primarily used for safety when dealing with infectious microorganisms and other hazardous particulates. The HEPA filtration that biosafety cabinets use implies that they can be used for research involving pathogens, recombinant DNA, and viruses.
Fume hoods are used when researching toxic gasses, aerosols, flammables, odorous materials, carcinogens, chemicals that can splash, and other toxic materials. Furthermore, the two types of fume hoods have more specific uses.
Ducted fume hoods are used to handle a wider range or volume of chemicals, while ductless fume hoods are used for a limited range or volume.
Conclusion
Your choice of equipment ultimately depends on the level of exposure your research requires. The right equipment for you is the one that fits into the type of work you deal with in your laboratory.